Synergistic surfactant package for cleaning of food and oily soils

Abstract

The disclosure relates a surfactant package for use in hard surface cleaning compositions, preferably floor cleaning compositions which pair an anionic linear alkyl sulfonate surfactant and a nonionic surfactant in a ratio of 1:1 to 9:1. This combination provides for synergistic cleaning of both proteinaceous food soils (red soils) and hydrocarbon-based oily soils (black soils) while also reducing foam produced by the composition. Synergistic nonionic surfactants include EO/PO alcohol alkoxylates or EO/PO fatty alcohol surfactants with a propylene oxide to ethylene oxide to ratio of greater than 1.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surfactant package for hard surface cleaning compositions that is effective on both food and oily soils comprising:
 one or more linear alkyl sulfonate surfactants; and   one or more nonionic ethoxylated propoxylated alcohol surfactants or ethoxylated propoxylated fatty alcohol surfactants, said nonionic surfactant with a ratio of propoxylation to ethoxylation of greater than 1.   
     
     
         2 . A surfactant package for hard surface cleaning compositions that is effective on both food and oily soils comprising:
 one or more linear alkyl sulfonate surfactants; and   one or more nonionic alcohol alkoxylate surfactant or nonionic fatty alcohol surfactants, said nonionic surfactants having a cloud point that is below 23° C.   
     
     
         3 . The surfactant package of  claim 1 , wherein said linear alkyl sulfonate surfactant is linear alkyl benzene sulfonate. 
     
     
         4 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said nonionic surfactant has a ratio of propoxylation to ethoxylation of 2:1. 
     
     
         5 . The surfactant package of  claim 4  wherein said nonionic surfactant is a C12 to C14 fatty alcohol with (EO)3(PO)6. 
     
     
         6 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said nonionic surfactant is a Alkyl-(EO)n-(PO)n-POH. 
     
     
         7 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said nonionic surfactant is a reverse EO/PO block copolymer. 
     
     
         8 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said ratio of anionic surfactant to nonionic surfactant is a ratio of greater than 1:1. 
     
     
         9 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said ratio of anionic surfactant to nonionic surfactant is 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1, or 9:1. 
     
     
         10 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein the surfactant package does not include alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS). 
     
     
         11 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein the surfactant package does not include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). 
     
     
         12 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein the surfactant package does not include a secondary alkane sulfonate (SAS). 
     
     
         13 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said surfactant package includes 2 or more nonionic surfactant selected from the group of ethoxylated propoxylated alcohol surfactants or ethoxylated propoxylated fatty alcohol surfactants. 
     
     
         14 . The surfactant package of  claim 1  wherein said surfactant package includes 2 or more linear alkyl sulfonates. 
     
     
         15 . A hard surface or floor cleaning composition comprising the surfactant package of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 . A composition comprising the surfactant package of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  further comprising one or more of an alkalinity source, a stabilizer, and/or a pH adjuster. 
     
     
         18 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  wherein said composition has a pH of about 7 to about 9. 
     
     
         19 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  wherein said composition is a solid. 
     
     
         20 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  wherein said composition is a pressed solid. 
     
     
         21 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  wherein said compositions is used in an automatic cleaning units with acceptable foaming. 
     
     
         22 . The hard surface or floor cleaning composition of  claim 15  wherein said composition exhibits acceptable foaming for use in an abrasion suction automatic cleaning unit. 
     
     
         23 . A method of cleaning a floor or hard surface comprising:
 contacting a composition according to  claim 1  with a floor or hard surface; and thereafter removing the composition from said surface.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the contacting of the composition is for a sufficient period of time to emulsify food and oily soils. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising rinsing said surface. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising scrubbing the surface. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising rinsing the surface with water after scrubbing. 
     
     
         28 . A method of making a cleaning composition comprising combining the surfactant package of  claim 1  with one or more additional functional ingredients to form a cleaning composition. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein said combined composition is pressed to form a solid.